Airlines
Interlining To Israel
A new interline agreement between Porter Airlines and EL AL Israel Airlines will provide new options for travel between Canada and Israel. The new deal takes advantage of the airlines' joint operations at Newark Liberty International Airport's Terminal B as a connecting point between Tel Aviv and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Numerous additional Canadian destinations are accessible via Toronto City. Itineraries can be purchased immediately through EL AL at http://www.elal.co.il , by calling 1-800-223-6700, or contacting your travel agent. Travellers can check baggage through to their...
Partnering For The Future
IATA continues to emphasize the importance of industry and government working together as the industry enters the second century of commercial aviation. In his keynote address at the Singapore Airshow Aviation Leadership Summit, IATA's director general and CEO, Tony Tyler said: "The most salient lesson of commercial aviation's first century is the value of partnerships. Through partnership, industry and government made flying the safest way to travel. This is a good guide as we look ahead to aviation's next century. No matter what the challenge, solutions built in partnership between...
Improved Control
A new passport control system at DFW International Airport is "significantly reducing" wait times for US and Canadian citizens who arrive from their international travel at the airport. The 30 Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks that the airport has introduced have helped to alleviate lines by allowing returning travellers to enter their own passport information on touch-screens and register their return to the country electronically. Sean Donohue, chief executive officer at DFW Airport, said: "The Automated Passport Control system is a simple and efficient way for U.S. and...
Now Wait Just A Minute
The American Anti-Trust Institute (AAI) -- joined by several consumer groups, including AirlinePassengers.org, Association for Airline Passenger Rights, Business Travel Coalition, Consumer Travel Alliance, and FlyersRights.org -- has filed comments with the Department of Justice (DOJ) arguing that the DOJ's settlement of its case against the merger of U.S. Airways and American Airlines is not in the public interest, and urging DOJ to renegotiate or take the case to trial. After joining with six states in seeking to enjoin the merger, the government settled the case in Nov. 2013,...
Changes At The Top
The Supervisory Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG (Lufthansa) has appointed Carsten Spohr as the future chairman of the Executive Board & CEO during its most recent meeting. Currently, Spohr oversees the business segment Lufthansa Passenger Airlines in his capacity as board member and will assume his new role effective May 1st, 2014. After graduating with a degree in industrial engineering, Carsten Spohr qualified for a commercial airline pilot's license from the Lufthansa Flight Training School. He also holds the Lufthansa captain's license. He then spent a short time at Deutsche...
Air Canada rouge ups Athens, Rome service
In response to strong market demand, Air Canada rouge will offer additional non-stop flights to Europe in May from its Toronto and Montreal hubs, available for sale immediately. From Toronto to Athens, Air Canada rouge will offer additional non-stop flights on May 14 and May 21. Additional non-stop flights will operate from Montreal to Athens on May 16 and May 19, and from Montreal to Rome on May 22 and May 23. Toronto to Athens non-stop service runs until Oct. 14, up to five times weekly, and is the most frequent non-stop service from Toronto to Athens offered by any carrier. Air...
Healthy demand in the air
IATA reports that full-year traffic results for 2013 showing a 5.2% increase in passenger demand compared to 2012. The 2013 performance aligns with the average annual growth rate of the past 30 years. Capacity rose 4.8% and load factor averaged 79.5% up 0.4 percentage points over 2012. Demand in international markets (5.4%) expanded at a slightly faster rate than domestic travel (4.9%). Strongest overall growth (domestic and international combined) was recorded by carriers in the Middle East (11.4%) followed by Asia-Pacific (7.1%), Latin America (6.3%) and Africa (5.2%). The...
WestJet reports record full-year net earnings
WestJet has announced its fourth quarter and year-end results for 2013, with record net earnings of $268.7 million, or $2.03 per diluted share, up from the net earnings of $242.4 million, or $1.78 per diluted share reported for the full-year 2012. For the fourth quarter, the airline reported diluted earnings per share of $0.52, up from $0.46 reported last year. This represents WestJet’s 35th consecutive quarter of profitability, and based on the trailing 12 months, the airline achieved a return on invested capital of 13.9%, compared with the 13.8% reported in the previous...